Part 11 (1/2)
”Has the coroner given you an approximate time of death for the victim?” he asked.
”This is my jurisdiction and therefore my case. You don't need to be b.u.t.ting your nose in.”
”Why haven't you brought J. D. d.i.c.key and his brother in?” he asked.
”What business do you have with the sheriff?”
”What business did he have in Grady County?”
”This is my jurisdiction,” Haden huffed.
”When are you going to arrest J. D. d.i.c.key?” he asked.
Haden's cell phone rang. She turned her back on the agents and stepped around her desk.
She covered her mouth. ”I know who it is,” she snapped under her breath. ”You listen here. They're pressuring me to arrest you.” Several seconds pa.s.sed, and then Haden said, ”For socking the woman. What'd you think they wanted me to arrest you for?”
”Doesn't she know we can hear every word she's saying?” Noah asked Nick.
”Apparently she doesn't.”
Haden's voice had risen. ”And I'm telling you my hands are tied here. I'm doing the best I can.”
She disconnected the call and tossed the cell phone onto her desk. Nick waited until she turned around before he asked the obvious.
”Were you just talking to J. D. d.i.c.key?”
”No, I wasn't.”
”If you don't bring him in, we will.”
”This is my jurisdiction.”
Nick asked her again if the coroner had given an approximate time of death for Professor MacKenna.
”I already answered the question. This is my jurisdiction and my case.” She folded her arms and began tapping her foot. ”I want you to get out...”
”We are not going away,” Noah interjected.
”What was the cause of death?” Nick asked.
”My jurisdiction,” she repeated, dragging the word out.
And so it went. No matter what question was asked, jurisdiction was her answer.
Jordan felt as though she were watching a tennis match, her gaze bouncing back and forth between her brother and the chief.
Carrie touched her arm to get her attention. ”How come I can't get the printer to print?”
Jordan leaned over the desk and said, ”Your printer isn't hooked up to the computer.” Her attention returned to the ongoing argument.
Carrie distracted her again. ”Can you fix it?” she pleaded.
”Yes, okay.”
”I found the manual for the computer,” she whispered. She was keeping her eye on the chief now, making sure she wasn't listening. ”But I haven't read it. I told her I had but...you know. I got busy doing other stuff. I guess I should read it, huh?”
”That's probably a good idea,” Jordan said. She walked around the desk and began hooking up the cable while Carrie continued to whisper.
”Your brother's really good-looking, but he's got that wedding ring on. It is a wedding ring, isn't it?”
Jordan smiled. ”Yes, it is.”
”Is his wife alive? I mean, some guys keep on wearing their wedding rings for years after their wives die.”
”Yes, his wife is alive, and yes, they're happily married. In fact, he and Laurant are expecting their second child in three months.”
Carrie's voice dropped lower. ”Jaffee's really nice-looking too. I mean, he's losing his hair and all, but that makes him kind of s.e.xy. I was walking past his restaurant on my break yesterday, and he and his friends were standing there talking to you. That rich rancher...you know who I mean...his name's Whitaker...now, he's really hot. He's on the lean side, but I can tell he's got muscles, and I like muscles. I bet he works out, don't you think?”
Jordan didn't answer, but Carrie didn't seem to mind. ”That one there though”-she nodded in Noah's direction-”he's got to be the s.e.xiest man I've ever seen.”
Was there any man Carrie didn't find appealing? Just how long had she been in prison? Jordan hoped the discussion had ended, but Carrie wasn't going to let it go.
”I mean...don't you think?”
”Yes, he is s.e.xy,” Jordan replied.
”That's what I thought.”
Jordan happened to glance up at Noah and realized he'd been watching her. Had he heard the conversation? She hoped not.
The chief was drawn away by another phone call, and Jordan seized the opportunity.
”Nick, what happens now?”
”We're waiting for your attorney.”
”Who is he?” she asked.
”I haven't met him, but he comes highly recommended.”
”Doctor Morganstern called him,” Noah told her.
Startled, she gasped and her hand went to her throat. ”You told Doctor Morganstern about this? Why did you tell him?”
Dr. Morganstern was a brilliant man, and his opinion mattered to her. She didn't want him to think less of her, or to think that she was somehow responsible for this mess.
”What's the big deal?” Noah asked.
”You shouldn't have bothered the doctor. He's a busy man.”